Food trucks are all the rage these days. (Or, you know, they were like, a couple of years ago. Tell you what—go back in time a couple of years, read this review, and vigorously nod your head at my lede. Thanks.)
In fact, there’s a good chance you’re probably eating at a food truck this very instant. So am I. But while your Food Truck Experience likely involves artisanally crafted meatballs or, say, some sort of Cajun-Korean fusion sandwich, mine was a Hot Pocket.
You know, Hot Pockets.
Bastion of the down-trodden. Savior of the late night drunkard.
Like food trucks, Hot Pockets were once a cool, exciting happening; but that era went out with the Sega, Reebok Pumps and, SNL being water-cooler conversation. Where once stood a delightful, microwavable rectangle of deliciousness now sits a flaccid box of mediocre ingredients and un-melted cheeses.
Hot Pockets, how I miss thee.
But like your Milli Vanilli cassette and your Hyper-Color shirt, there is a time and place for the HP. A quick-fire lunch. A late night when you’re legally too drunk to make it to Taco Bell. A bizarre occurrence where you’re angry at your colon. These are all prime examples of when one SHOULD pull open the plastic, insert the meat-chunk into the crisping sleeve, and prepare to wreck your toilet.
If you’re doing that, though, be wise. The optimal Hot Pockets flavors rank as such: 1) 4 Meat & 4 Cheese Pizza 2) Beef Taco 3) BBQ Recipe Beef (lol at that name, by the way—“recipe.” What??) 4) Steak & Cheddar 5) Philly Steak 6) “Hickory” Ham & Cheese 7) Meatballs & Mozzarella 8) Any of the “Breakfast” Pockets.
This new Pocket—the one I had, apparently “inspired” by a food truck—would be like, 63rd on the list.
According to the box, it was engineered in conjunction with “Komodo Food Truck” which stands for “Dangerously Good Food” and “a gourmet experience like no other.”
Per my Google searching, “Komodo Food Truck” is “a real thing,” but good lord, I’m not sure how they’d ever be okay with such a lackluster representation of their brand. (Oh, well, money.)
This thing was garbage, plain and simple. Oh sure, it looked fine from the outside—normal-ass Pocket proceedings. Inside, however, lurked an adventurous mush that appeared to be some sort of miser’s answer to beef stew. There were carrots — lots of them — and a few disingenuous peas, and some brown paste. I saw a few errant specks of “angus beef” but that seriously could’ve been my imagination. Because I didn’t taste them.
Instead, I tasted sweet, crunchy carrots and a dull hint of heat (the box brags that there are jalapenos involved). Point being, this thing tasted like a warm mass of microwaved newspaper that your grandmother spit out her mostly-eaten piece of grape hard candy into. It was grotesquely sugary and there was but a singular beef to be found.
And really, is that what we want in a Hot Pocket?
Because I thought we demanded better.
But maybe that’s today’s thinking, really. This…entitlement. Maybe I’m viewing this through the lens of a modern man who knows that Milli Vanilli was a grand disappointment, that Pumps won’t make me a better basketball player, and that SNL maybe hasn’t been funny ever. (Or, for arguments sake, it’s funnier than ever and the era we fondly remember was actually mostly pretty bad, save a handful of sketches.)
Anyway, don’t buy this Hot Pocket if you see it loitering. Holy shit, it’s bad and you’ll regret it.
(Nutrition Facts – 1 Pocket – 290 calories, 110 calories from fat, 12 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 500 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 6 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.)
Purchased Price: $2.00 (on sale)
Size: 2 sandwiches
Purchased at: Hy-Vee
Rating: 2 out of 10
Pros: Um, nostalgia? Cheap. Sega Genesis.
Cons: Microwaved awfulness. 63rd best Hot Pocket. Grandma’s hard candy. Carrot City.
That may be the saddest looking thing I see today. It reminds me of Dinty Moore Beef Stew, with the meat removed, stuffed into a Hot Pocket shell.
I’m a sucker when I see new products at Walmart/grocery stores, so good thing I saw this review before I impulsively threw this in the shopping cart. This looks very good on the box, but then again what doesn’t? Lol
That looks horrible! With that said……I think you tried too hard on this review. Talking about getting drunk and wrecking a toilet is a bit simple……like a high school kid wrote it.
I came here to say the exact same thing, this review felt very forces. Too many “jokes” and my inner narrarator kept stumble trying to read it. It just didn’t flow.
Totally agree with your review. I was excited to try this and it was just plain awful. It is the first bad product I have had that even ranch dressing couldn’t edge it towards being at least bearable.
yeah, Hot Pockets lost their quality a few years ago so I’m not terribly surprised to hear this review. Maybe they need to focus on quality rather than gimicks
Sounds and looks awful! Thanks for warning us!
Unsurprisingly bad. Yet another Hot Pocket catering to fads instead of psuedo-edible meat & cheese product in various types of bread. My heart shall forever belong to the Hot Pocket Subs … mostly because I think they will be to blame for my early demise.
Amazing review.
I just tried one of these, and I actually really liked it. I thought it was one of the better Hot Pockets I’ve had in a while. I liked the flavor and level of heat that it had. It had a spicy kick without being overwhelming. While the picture you posted makes it look unappetizing, I’m glad it didn’t keep me from purchasing this. It’s a good snack and decent by Hot Pocket standards
Same…I just bought these on a whim, I haven’t had hot pockets in years…I used to live in Los Angeles, I’ve actually had Kimodo’s food before. Both are great…Of course the real thing is going to be better but I really don’t see an issue with these given the price. The spicy sauce is absolutely PERFECT — just enough but not too hot to dull the flavor of the veggies and beef. The author of this “review” sounds like a pompous douche who goes around sniffing his / her own farts…like straight out of that “South Park” episode – lol.
I tried it and woooow it was gross af. Most hot pockets are hardly gourmet- but for a snack while sitting around playing games is fine. It was something new so i said meh why not. But ugh it was like they took panda, threw it in a blender, reduced the flavor by about 70% and then threw it in a bread pocket. Bland and stood out in all the wrong places. Highly advise aginst it.
This review is too one sided. You can’t expect too much from Hot Pockets/ Lean Pockets as a pack of 2 costs in the low $2 range and up to $3 in some stores.
I tried this Spicy Asian Style Beef Hot Pocket and it wasn’t bad. Its pretty spicy like the name implies so Hot Pockets gets points for honesty. I hate when things are labeled spicy when they aren’t. I liked the crust style used as it wasn’t taking away from the flavor. The beef used was tasty. The vegetables used I couldn’t taste due to it being spicy. Not a bad Hot Pocket just a little too spicy for my liking. I tried the Spicy Asian Style Beef Rollers little bite sized Hot Pockets and those are excellent. Taste like little egg rolls. Not as spicy as the big Hot Pockets. I rate them a 5/5 and I keep on buying and eating them.